Is it Destiny, or am I Just Hungry
by Cherubby
Summary: Brendan and May are a troublesome duo, their shenanigans getting them involved with everything from pokemon battles, to berry hangovers, to Villainous plots. But life isn't black and white, and as they journey together and form memorable friendships with pokemon and people alike, the two have to come to terms with what they want in life and who they want to stand with.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, hello :3**

 **This is a story I began writing about two years ago, but never finished. I found it on my computer and figured, what the hell, might as well upload it. So voila!**

 **That being said, I do have intentions of finishing the story when I have free time because I'll go a little nuts if I know something is unfinished and just sitting in a file rotting on my computer. Ewie.**

 **This will be a slow-burn romance/adventure, and to be honest, I'm not even sure what the final pairing will be in the end yet, so stick around loves.**

* * *

*Rumble rumble*… *thump!*

"Ow!" May yelped as the cardboard box precariously situated behind her finally smacked her in the back of the head. She had insisted to her mother that she sit in the back of the moving van. What better way to start an adventure than by taking it one new experience at a time? And though she hardly admitted this outloud, the peace and quiet was much needed. Her mom, Caroline, was many things; sweet, a remarkable baker, and friendly… but boy could she chat your ear off when given the opportunity.

 _Yeesh though…_ after rubbing the sore lump that's starting to form on her badgered head, May was beginning to think it might have been worth it to risk sitting in the passenger seat. Curling up in the dark surrounded by the smells of rancid socks and damp cardboard is one thing, but nearly getting knocked out by a box of her mother's pans? Yeah, no. Peace and quiet be damned. She didn't sign up for this. Just imagining the horrendous state her hair must be in after all the tussles she's taken makes her want to cringe.

May's dad was offered a position as Gym Leader in Petalburg City a few years ago, and upon accepting the job he moved there as soon as possible, his reasoning ranging from it being a rare opportunity to strengthen his pokemon, to it being a sign from above that he is meant to make a name for himself. May shook her head in exasperation at the memory. _Either way his excuses were always ambitious by nature… Dad never could quench his thirst for pokemon battles_. But because May's grandmother was too sickly to make the move, May and her mother stayed behind in Johto to care for her as well as run the small bakery that May's mother owned. Naturally, May's father did visit them every now and then, but thanks to a consistent battle schedule, he couldn't stay away from his gym for much more than a week at a time.

It was only recently, last fall to be exact, that May's elderly grandmother had succumbed to the sickness that had wrought her body for years. The funeral was quick, and the first few months after particularly morbid for her and her mother as they learned to deal with the loss of her presence in their lives. Now, however, May and her mother look back on memories of grandma with a fond smile. The loss was hard, but time has washed away the dank memories of late night hacking, blood-clotted coughs, and somber obituaries to leave only thoughts of grandma's adventurous pokemon fables and cheeky grin. Finally, at the cusp of May's sixteenth birthday, her and her mother are moving to Littleroot town in an effort to join her father and start anew. The dark confines of the moving van, however, are a stark contrast to the magically exciting adventure this move is supposed to be.

 _How much longer is this miserable drive going to ta-_ May's thought was cut short when the moving van came to an abrupt halt, shoving her body forward onto the ribbed metal floor of the van in the process.

"Urghhh…" An inauspicious moan came out of her mouth.

She was pretty sure she heard a door slam shut in the distance, but the throbbing in her head was making it hard to concentrate on any of her other senses. She slowly brought her bruised body to her knees, groaning at the effort. Just as she had placed both her palms on the moving van's metal doors in an effort to gain her bearings, said doors were flung open wide and May's body came tumbling out to land with an *oomph* on the grass below.

May's mother looked down at the teen's unceremoniously splayed legs and gave a little *eep!* of surprise.

"Oh jeez, May." She bent over and patted her daughter's tangled hair with one hand, and offered her other in a gesture of support. "I knew you were excited about the move and all… but kissing our front lawn?" May's mother giggled. "That's a bit much."

Ignoring her mother's outstretched hand, May finally lifted her face up and gave her mother a defiant glare. Mumbling something about her sarcasm not being appreciated, she got on her two feet, dusted her clothes free of dirt, and walked towards their new home with a dignified huff.

Flinging the hard wood front door open, May gave the inside of the house a once over. A slow smile began to crawl its way onto her face, and after running up the stairs and twirling into both available bedrooms, the smile turned into an absolutely radiant grin.

"It's… so… CUUUUTE!" She squealed in excitement, gave what she already determined would be her bedroom another appreciative glance, and tore down the stairs two at a time on her way back to the moving van outside. Once she reached her mother's side, May did another twirl for good measure and bit the tip of her thumb in excitement.

"I'll admit…" May's mother put her hand on her hips, admiring the front of their new home, and winked over at May, "it's pretty darn adorable."

It really was aesthetically appealing, especially on the outside. Their new home was built primarily with chestnut wood, and it featured adorable blue shutters on the outside. There was a winding stone pathway that lead to the front door, and a series of flower baskets were situated along the front just waiting to be filled with beautiful floral arrangements. Before the quaint house could be admired any more, however, May and her mother were interrupted by a low guttural sound coming from beside the moving van.

"Ah! There you are." May's mother proclaimed with a smile, clapping her hands together in pleasant surprise.

May's response was a lot less welcoming, the only sound coming from her being a long drawn-out "Ughhhhh… I thought you said you _weren't_ going to enlist pokemon to help?" She spared a glance at the two burly Machokes now standing before her and wrinkled her nose in disapproval when her blue eyes met the pointed red ones of the muscular pokemon closest to her. _Gray skin, bulging pectorals, and reptilian features… I mean c'mon, they look like mother flipping Ninja Turtles gone wrong._

"Now May…" her mother began in a disapproving tone. "I didn't _enlist_ their help. No, I had a client who lives nearby contact me last minute about a group of Machokes near Littleroot town who freely offer their muscular abilities to anyone in need. So naturally, I put my expansive network of connections to work and arranged for them to meet us here!" May's mother gave the pair of large framed Machokes, who at this point had begun to soundlessly and independently load their arms with boxes and furniture, another smile. As they began to take their loads into the house, she waved at their backs and yelled a cheery, "thank you so much!" before crawling into the moving van to fill her own arms with belongings.

May shook her head and squeezed her cheeks with her palms in an effort to not let the pokemons' presence get to her, then resolved herself to just ignore them all day. _It's ok May… you can do this. Just pretend they aren't really pokemon. More like big, grey, bodybuilders on steroids who eerily resembles reptilians. Mhm, yeah, that'll do!_

"… _."_

… _Aw hell._ May frowned and pursed her lips. _Like that's even a little bit convincing._

She let out an exasperated sigh and started digging in the van for her personal stuff, determined not to let either Machoke infect any of it with their pokemon cooties. _This'll be a long day…_

The following morning May jumped out of bed, quickly smoothed her pink duvet in a lousy attempt at neatness, and rushed to get ready. A new adventure awaits! At least that's how May saw her current situation. She had people to meet, places to explore, and discoveries to make. Not even the thought of encountering pokemon could dampen her spirits and thirst for adventure.

As she stood before her reflection she smoothed any stray tawny hairs and adjusted her brand new red and white bandanna. May couldn't help but think of the numerous amazing ways her day could go. Would she run into anyone interesting? She really could use a new friend or two. Maybe come across some new berries, enough to bring back for her mom to bake one of her famous pies? Oh man, just the thought of biting into one of her mother's sweet, succulent desserts had her nearly salivating at the mouth. _I definitely need to ask her to bake one of those oran berry pies again… the kind with the sweet glaze on top. Mmm, yeah._

May finished messing with her hair, then applied a touch of lip gloss to her lips and smoothed out any imaginary creases existing on her biker shorts. Next came her yellow fanny pack, which she snapped on around her waist, then tightened till it was snug. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror, and after deciding she looked sufficiently cute, winked at herself and virtually skipped down the stairs to the front door.

"Wait May! At least take some breakfast with you." Before she made it out the door, her mom waved her over and set a slice of fresh homemade bread next to a small saucer of butter on the kitchen counter. After getting a whiff of the warm, buttery scent emanating from the bread, May couldn't resist succumbing to her mother's offer of food.

*rwaaarrrghhh* Clearly her empty stomach agreed, so without wasting another second, May did a U-turn and bee lined for the bread slice.

"So, May darling…"

 _Oh greeeat._ May spared her mother a brief glance, then reached for the nearby butter and spread some on her warm bread slice. _Whenever mom uses that tone of voice she's trying to con me into something. And "darling"? Yup, no doubt about it, she definitely wants something._

"I hear your father's dear friend Professor Birch lives right next door to us. And the best part? His son is your age!" Taking a large bite out of her freshly buttered bread, May focused on the succulent flavor of her mother's baking, hardly listening to her words. She practically moaned from the hearthy brown cedar flavor of the multi grain bread, the rich butter perfectly complementing its flavor of nutty sharpness and sweet cream.

"May, are you even listening to me?" Her mother crossed her arms and gave her a frown, but May just waved a hand at her, mumbled a near incoherent "of cows mum" around her mouthful of food, and turned on her heel and left. No more dawdling, time to get going!

The blaze of sunlight that hit May's face once she stepped outside caught her off guard, and she quickly brought a hand up to shade her eyes before the rays practically burned her retinas. _Now, where to first?..._ But before she could even come to a decision, she heard a scream in the woods to her right. Immediately May took a step in the direction she heard the dire yell come from, but suddenly a thought hit her and she came to a halt.

 _Oh my god, what if there are *gulp* pokemon out there?_ May bit the tip of her thumb and shivered. _Yuck, just thinking about the number of bug pokemon that are probably crawling through the bushes gives me the heebie jeebies._ She wanted adventure, but not the kind that included saving helpless souls from sticky situations that more than likely included pokemon encounters. Pokemon encounters that probably involved slimy Wurmples or creepy Cascoon.

Suddenly another scream ripped through the air and startled May into action.

 _Aw hell, there's no helping it._ She took off at a run into the woods. _This girl better be one hell of a damsel in distress though. I expect raging Charizards and burning infernos._

What she did encounter when finally arriving on the scene was something completely different. The "damsel" was a heavy set grown-ass man in a lab coat running in circles with an irate pokemon hot on his heels. May might not be too fond of pokemon, but her dad _is_ a gym leader, so she's been familiarized with Hoenn's basic pokemon. The gray and black fur on the small hyena pokemon, along with its deep red eyes, easily identified it as a Poochyena.

 _I_ _ **knew**_ _pokemon would be involved!_ Every time the Poochyena got close enough to nip at the man's ankles, he let out an ear-splitting scream so high pitched it could shatter glass.

"Well, what are you standing there for?!" The man yelled at May, shaking her out of her brief surprised stupor. " _Help_ me!" He gave another squeal as the Poochyena caught the tail of his lab coat in its jaws only for the white fabric to rip free a moment later.

"Ah, yeah, just one - er - moment!" May scrambled, hurriedly looking around for some kind of weapon or way to drive the Poochyena away. _Just great! I obviously didn't think this through. I have no weapon, no personal pokemon, and if I throw something at the Poochyena it will just chase_ _ **me**_ _down!_ She racked her brain for any kind of solution to the quagmire she found herself in, and just as she was about to say 'to hell with it' and charge the furry creature with a nearby branch, the man before her yelled out "My bag! Use one of the pokeballs in it! **Now**!" May could see the man being cornered against a tree, the Poochyena slowing to a prowl as it growled and got closer to him one menacing step at a time.

Blanching at the thought but realizing it was a better plan than what she came up with, May swallowed her anxiety and rushed over to the brown knapsack about five meters away. Thrusting her hand into its contents, she grabbed the first pokeball she came in contact with, and stood up in a hurry.

 _How do you even use one of these?!_ May shook the pokeball back and forth a few seconds till she discovered a smooth push and release button on one side. _That's right! I've seen dad use pokeballs before, so all I've got to do is-_ Spurred on by another scream, she pushed the button and threw the ball in the general direction of the Poochyena and man. Immediately after release the pokeball and its contents were enveloped in a flash of iridescent light that receded to reveal a small blue pokemon eerily resembling a salamander or funny-looking fish.

Understanding that the pokemon, which type May had no idea, would need direction, she yelled out "You, frog-face! Stop that Poochyena!" The pokemon gave her a brief look of offense, then swiftly lunged toward the Poochyena and let loose a torrid… of… bubbles?

 _What the hell is that blue fish brain thinking?! Bubbles won't do cra-_ but before she could finish her inner tirade, May's jaw dropped at the sight of the Poochyena yelping in pain and scurrying off into the nearby bushes. On cue, the small water pokemon turned toward May and gave her a proud grin.

May couldn't help but return his smile with one of her own, the euphoria of winning the brief battle contagious. _Well… maybe battling in and of itself isn't_ _ **that**_ _bad._ But suddenly she shooker head, trying to rid herself of such thoughts and gain composure. _No way May! Of course pokemon battles aren't fun! They involve, well,_ _ **pokemon.**_ Nevertheless, she couldn't completely shake the feeling of pride and excitement that plagued her, and instead decided to just ignore it.

"Nice job young lady! If it weren't for you, I'd be a whole lot worse for wear. Now c'mon, let's head back into town."

"So let me get this straight… you were out researching the local woodland pokemon when you accidentally stumbled upon a Poochyena's tail?" May frowned in puzzlement. "Why didn't you just use one of the pokemon you had in your knapsack to fend it off yourself?"

The man, who introduced himself as none other than Professor Birch, paused in his efforts to bandage up the many bite marks on his ankles and gave a disgruntled sigh. "I would have done just that, but unfortunately I'm older and *cough* a tad heavier than I used to be." He used one hand to give his fairly round belly a heavy pat for good measure. "I wasn't quick enough to outrun the Poochyena and reach my bag."

May took his point, then made another cursory glance around the lab they were currently in. It was certainly impressive with its cutting edge machinery, flashing lights, and clean modern feel. The walls were whitewashed, the floors covered in steel grey tile, and the building itself spacious. Professor Birch even had an assistant, though he has said little more than a sentence to either May or the professor, instead preferring to fiddle with the mounted gadget in the far corner.

"Sooo… it was nice meeting you and all, but I'd better go." May gave the professor a bright smile, waved, and abruptly pivoted around to head for the lab's entrance. As interesting as she found the lab, May would rather continue adventuring than stand around and waist anymore daylight. Besides, Professor Birch made it a point to keep a few pokemon around in his lab, and the glassy-eyed stare coming from the ditto across the room was making her feel seriously uncomfortable.

"Oh really? Well, wait one second please!" The professor called out to May just as her hand reached the door knob.

 _Well fudge._

Not wanting to be rude, she turned around and plastered on one of her cutest smiles. "Yes?"

"You don't have a pokemon, correct?"

"Well, er, no but-"

"Perfect! Then why don't you let Mudkip join your party? You two were an excellent team, and he seems to be fond of you." Professor Birch gestured to the closest of the three pokeballs displayed on the counter beside him with a cheery smile.

 _No way, absolutely not!_ May tried to hold back her rising panic as she fumbled for a polite way to turn him down. She can't deny that there was definitely _something_ alluring about battling with pokemon, but she was still adverse to the idea of forming any kind of partnership with them.

"Oh, wow, that's so nice of you and all… but see, I'm not really looking for a new pokemon or anything."

Either the professor didn't notice how uncomfortable she was, or he simply ignored it, because his next move was to rise up from his sitting position, hobble over to the pokeballs to pick up Mudkip's, then place it gently in May's right hand. "At least give him a chance. I have a feeling you'll warm up to him with time."

Before she could protest anymore, Professor Birch placed his hands on May's shoulders, turned her around, and gave her a gently push towards the lab's door. "Now go on and explore Hoenn with your new pokemon! My son Brendan should still be conducting some research on route 103 for me, so if you run into him feel free to ask him any questions you may have."

May wasn't sure what to do, but she recognized that the professor wasn't going to let her leave without Mudkip in her possession, so she decided to just go with flow and leave quickly before she became partnered with anymore unforeseen pokemon.

On her way out the door she ran into someone, accidentally shoving them with enough force for them and their bag to topple to the ground in a heap.

"Oh jeez, I'm so sorry!" May looked down and went to offer her hand to the boy sprawled on the ground, but seeing that he was moving to gather his scattered pokeballs, notebook, and pencils back into his knapsack, she opted to help him with his belongings instead.

"Don't sweat it, it's all right."

After sparing a glance his way, May was pleasantly surprised to find that he was around her age. Most of his dark brown hair was hidden under a white and black beanie, his sun kissed skin sported a light tan, and he was decked out in a ruby red and charcoal ensemble. _This must be Brendan. Guess he returned from route 103 earlier than his dad thought._

"... though you _could_ watch where you're going a little more."

May was startled out of her musings by Brendan's voice, and she turned towards him with a frown. "Well _excuse_ you. No need to have such a tude. I really was sorry." She stuck her tongue out at him, adjusted her hair bandanna, and stood up with a sniff.

Putting the last of his belongings into his backpack, Brendan stood up too and matched May's own irate gaze with one of his own. "What do you mean you _were_ sorry? You can't even deny that _you_ bumped into _me."_

May was flabbergasted. _How rude! Here I was helping him pick up his junk after he fell, even apologizing for the whole ordeal, only for him to be a sarcastic boob._

"I'll have you know that it was a mutual accident. As in we bumped into _each other_." May put one hand on her hip and used the other to point between the two of them for emphasis.

Brendan just rolled his eyes at her theatrics and turned to leave. _I don't have time for this. I'm sure dad's waiting for me inside._

"Besides, I just saved your dad's butt from a super menacing Poochyena, so I hardly deserve your facetious attitude."

That got Brendan's attention. He quickly turned to face her, latching his amber eyes onto May's blue ones. "He's alright, right?" _I can't believe he went out on his own again! Last time it was a Zigzagoon, now a Poochyena?_

"Why don't you find out for yourself? He's inside." May gestured toward the lab's door with her thumb, then turned and walked away with a flourish. "You're welcome by the way!" was her last call as she waved Brendan's way without sparing a backwards glance.

Ignoring her, Brendan rushed inside the lab to check on his dad's well-being.

 _Well, that was interesting._ From saving Professor Birch's butt from a Poochyena, to gaining, albeit begrudgingly, a new pokemon, May's first day has been quite eventful thus far. _Though I could have lived without the dish of sass I was delivered by the professor's son. Yeesh, hopefully he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed._

After reaching her house, May looked down at the pokeball in her hands with uncertainty.

"Well, I'm stuck with you whether I like it or not, so I guess I better make the most of the situation."

May's mother had been hesitant to let her explore too far from home. It's not uncommon for teenagers like May to go out in search of adventure, fame, and glory, but alone? No way. The world can be a dangerous one without pokemon by your side - or so May's mother always says. And naturally, because May has an insatiable desire for adventure and new experiences, she's been pushing the topic more and more.

 _There's no way that mom can hold me back now that I have you for company._ May grinned and opened her front door. _Time to pack for a journey._

* * *

Dinner that night was an awkward experience for Brendan. He glanced up from his bowl of noodles only to catch his dad still staring intently at him, and his mother pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.

"..."

"..."

"..."

 _Ok, this is just ridiculous._

With a sigh, Brendan put his fork down and glared over the dinner table at his dad. "Seriously, what gives? You've been boring holes through me since we sat down, and frankly? It's plain weird."

His mother paused what she was doing to watch the exchange, as she'd been curious about her husband's unusual behavior as well.

"It's that girl that saved me from the Poochyena attack today. You know, the one you said you ran into?"

"Uh, first of all, _she_ ran into _me._ And second of all, what about her?" Brendan didn't understand why his dad was hung up on her. _I mean, she was pretty cute and all, with her big blue ey- er, uh, I mean-_

"She's pretty cute, isn't she?"

Brendan startled and his cheeks instantly got pink. "Er, um, what? Pshh.. I guess, kinda sorta maybe." _Jeez, can he read minds? Gah, what am I saying, of course not. Still…_ He gave his dad a suspicious look. _That was an eerie coincidence._

"Right?!" Professor Birch clapped his hands in enthusiasm, only to see his wife giving him a withering glare. "Well, you see Brendan..." *cough* He really needed to make his point, otherwise Mrs's Birch was going to give him an earful tonight. "What I'm trying to get at is that I think you should keep an eye out for her."

"What?! What do you take me for, some kind of stalker?" Brendan was incredulous. _What the hell is my dad getting at?_

Professor Birch quickly shook his head no and gave a sigh. "No son, I don't want you to _follow_ her, just keep an eye out for her, you know? I have this nagging feeling that she's special, and may just need some guidance." He remembered her fumbling with the pokeball earlier today in the woods, and her odd aversion to pokemon. _Or a lot of guidance_ , he inwardly cringed. Before Brendan could protest he added, "And we both know you're leaving soon on your own adventure, so I'm sure you'll cross paths here and there."

Seeing that his dad was serious, Brendan sighed and nodded. "Sure, I guess I can help her out. _If_ we cross paths that is."

 _Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot today._ Then Brendan's arrogance took over and he gave a small smile. _Besides, I_ _ **do**_ _have experience with pokemon and can hardly leave her to her own devices. I am a nice guy after all._

Seeing that his son was lost to his own musings, but did in fact agree to look after May, Professor Birch left the conversation at that and returned to his now lukewarm dinner. Mrs. Birch just smiled at the two and shook her head lightly. _Boys._

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Welp, there you go, chapter one muchachos. Like I said, it's a bit of a slow burn and one that I plan to write a lot of chapters for, so the first couple of chapters will be filled with introductions, etc., as the ball gets rolling and the story gets juicer. Also, because the first few chapters are already written, I will publish them very soon. I just need to spell check them and all that fun jazz._

 _I'm honestly psyched just to publish something. I mean, it only took me two mother flipping years to do it, but ayeee._

 _ **Reviews are appreciated!** : **3**_

 _No really, please review. Old story or not, I'd love to hear your thoughts._


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoop, whoop.**

 **The plot is, *gasp*, moving ever forward.**

* * *

"Mmm…"

May took a moment to stand still and enjoy the warmth of the morning sun on her face as she left Oldale town. A light breeze ruffled her bangs, and with it came the sound of taillow chirping in the distance. She inhaled the fresh smell of grass imbued with the sweet aroma of nearby pecha berries. Though May's surroundings initially had a calming effect on her, her anticipation for what's to come was simply too exciting. She could feel the grin growing on her face as thoughts of her new journey came back, so she opened her sapphire blue eyes and started humming a catchy song as she continued walking forward.

 _See? I_ _ **knew**_ _mom would let me travel once I showed her my Mudkip._ May could feel a smirk on her face.

In fact, not only was her mom ecstatic to hear that May had a new pokemon, but she even gave her a cotton bag filled with pokedollars! May touched her fanny pack in memory, knowing that it contained not only her necessities, but also her money. Her mom even got up early to cook an extra large breakfast of buttermilk pancakes, sausage, and fruit salad. May's mouth watered at the memory of maple syrup and butter, her taste recalling the rich flavor as though she had just taken a bite.

"I have such a weakness to food", May said out loud with a sigh.

May was excited beyond belief that her time for adventure had finally come! And yet… something was missing. Like, a companion.

 _I'm_ _ **so**_ _bored!_ May inwardly groaned, kicking a rock with the toe of her shoe as she walked. It skidded ahead till finally resting at the edge of a grassy patch, May's blue eyes lazily following its path.

Suddenly, May was pulled out of her reverie by the sight of a familiar black clad butt sticking out of the long grass up ahead.

 _No way…_ May grinned mischievously, her penchant for mischief taking over. She slowed her walk to a creep, and her fingers twitched in anticipation. Drawing closer so she was right behind Brendan, May could hear the subtle cursing coming from the professor's son.

"Mother son of a- oh, c'mon! Where'd it go?" Brendan muttered under his breath, eyes roaming the grass before him in search of something.

 _Almost…_ May's grin grew even bigger as she leaned over Brendan's hunched form.

Suddenly, the twig her foot was standing on snapped as she leaned forward, the added pressure being too much for it to withstand.

 _Crap!_ As soon as she saw Brendan start to whip his head back, she launched forward and pushed his shoulders back into the earth, shouting "RAAAARGHHH!" right in his face.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Brendan yelled at the top of his lungs, his ruby red eyes as large as saucers, and his hands in front of his face in weak defense.

May started howling with laughter, tears in her eyes. "Hahahaha! Oh my g- hahahaha!"

She tried to regain her composure enough to talk, but after remembering the look of horror on Brendan's face when she startled him, she lost it again. "Ahahahaha! I'm sorry, I just- hahaha!, can't help it. You f-face was so-pfffff, hahahaha!"

Brendan scowled at May and got up from his position on the ground with his arms crossed in indignation, though she was laughing so hard she didn't notice. "Wow, thank you May. I've only spent the last half hour searching for the skitty I spotted, and then you come along and FREAKING RUIN IT."

At this, May opened her eyes and quelled her laughter enough to say, "Uh, that skitty was probably long gone. With the way your butt was up in the air? It would have to be blind to miss you."

Brendan just rolled his eyes and muttered a "Whatever, still rude" before snatching his bag off the ground and stomping ahead on the path.

 _Ok, so she's probably right, but still._ He shook his head and frowned. _Talk about embarrassing as hell._

May stopped her laughing and took off after Brendan's form. Once she caught up (much to Brendan's chagrin), she twirled around in front of him with a bright smile, walking backwards to keep ahead.

"Sooo… whatchya doing?"

"Trying to get away from you."

"Oh, come on Brendy-poo, don't be like that. Where's your sense of humor?"

Brendan stopped with a huff and gave May a piercing glare. "Fine, but first? Don't ever call me _Brendy-poo."_ He gave a look of disgust when muttering it. "Second? I'm going to try to find the skitty you chased off for my dad since it showed signs of having a rare ability. Once that's done, I'm headed to Petalburg City."

May brightened at this. _Wow, talk about perfect timing! We may have gotten off to a rough start, but I just know traveling with someone, even him, has GOT to be more exciting than doing it by myself._

She snapped her fingers in decision and gave Brendan a one-hundred watt smile. "Sweet! I'm headed to Petalburg City too! We might as well go together."

Brendan was about to shrug May's offer off and decline, but his dad's words echoed in his head, " _Keep an eye out for her… she'll probably need a lot of help."_

 _Well,_ Brendan thought, _I did say I'm a nice guy, so I can't really leave her to fend for herself…_

"Hellooooo, earth to Brendan." May knocked on Brendan's head with her knuckles, startling him slightly.

"Jeez, take a chill pill, I was thinking", Brendan responded.

May crossed her arms and pouted, looking slightly offended. "Uh, you should be flattered that I want to travel with you."

Brendan sighed, and after deciding his dad would kill him if he found out he ran into May only to ditch her, he gave the girl a resounding "Sure, we can go together."

May grinned and pumped her fist in the air in excitement, "YAY!"

"-But on one condition." Brendan interjected. May looked sidelong at him, waiting for him to continue. "You have to help me find that rare skitty you shooed away."

May didn't even pause. "Pshhh, you got it! Piece of cake."

Brendan couldn't help but crack a smile at her enthusiasm, her cheery disposition being semi contagious and all.

"I promise you I'm great company. I mean, really, I can even sing!" At that, May started humming a popular Hoenn tune that's replayed on t.v. way too often.

Brendan moaned out load and rolled his eyes. "Oh hell no, don't start that."

* * *

"Ok, I know I said I'd help you find your super special skitty and all, but this is just _ridiculous,"_ May groaned out loud as she and Brendan finished searching for the pokemon in another patch of tall grass, only to come up empty.

Brendan couldn't disagree. The two had been scouring grassy spots for the last couple hours, and at this point they were starving.

*grargggghhhh*

May put a hand on her stomach and looked at Brendan pointedly, "See? Even my stomach agrees. Let's head to your dad's lab, give him the news, grab a bite to eat, then head to Petalburg city already."

Brendan sighed, then nodded his head in agreement. "Fine, let's go."

The two companions walked back to Professor Birch's lab in Littleroot town so Brendan could share his report. Unfortunately, that also meant telling his dad that he lost the rare skitty they'd been watching for the last week. _Ugh… this sucks. All that searching for nothing._

Finally standing in front of the lab entrance, Brendan swung the door open, holding it so that May could enter. _Huh,_ May thought as she walked into the lab, _he may be an arrogant arse, but apparently he isn't completely hopeless._

As if hearing her thoughts, Brendan suddenly stuck his foot out in front of May so she had no choice but to stumble, just barely catching herself before she tripped.

May whipped her head around to give Brendan a death glare, but he was closing the door behind him nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets, feigning innocence.

 _I take it back!_ May thought fiercely. _He's a stupid, melodramatic, arrogant bastard through and through!_

Brendan strode forward to talk to his dad, who was currently sitting in his favorite chair fiddling with a small handheld machine. With a small smirk, he thought to himself, _I may have agreed to let May travel with me till Petalburg city, but there is no way I'm going to let the trip be all sunshine and rainbows. What with bumping into me, jumping me, ruining my pokemon research, and humming annoying ass songs for hours, the girl has another thing coming._

Professor Birch looked up from what he was doing as Brendan approached him and gave him a welcoming smile. "Brendan, my boy! So, how'd it go? Did you catch the skitty we spotted?"

Brendan looked to the side with a frown, mumbling the verdict with disdain, "Almost, but it got away." He shoved his thumb back to point at May, who was currently fiddling with a blinking piece of technology on the far side of the lab. "Thanks to _this_ girl."

Ignoring his son's accusation, Professor Birch lit up as he realized May was here as well and waved his hand at her in greeting. "May, I'm so glad to see you again! It looks like you met up with my son."

May startled at the professor's voice, her head whipping towards him in surprise as her concentration with the gadget before her broke. Unfortunately, her thumb pushed a button on the piece of technology when she changed her focus to Professor Birch, causing it to emit flashing red lights in alarm along with a terrible screeching sound.

"Ahhhh!" May jumped at the sudden noise in panic, dropping the gadget to the lab's floor in the process. It shattered into pieces as it hit the hard linoleum, the screeching reverting to a *yeeooooww* before finally going dead.

"..."

The silence was finally broken by May's awkward laugh, "ehehe… I, uh, can fix that. I think." She scratched her head sheepishly and kicked the electronic's pieces to the side with her foot. "Sorry."

Brendan slapped a hand to his forehead in irritation and groaned, "Seriously May?"

Conveniently deciding to ignore Mays hiccup, Professor Birch drew his eyes from the broken pieces back to May's face, calling her over with a hand gesture and smile. "C'mon over, I have something for you."

May walked over to where Brendan and the professor were standing, her curiosity piqued.

Professor Birch held out the small device he was fiddling with earlier in his right hand and motioned to May with his left. "If I could have your PokeNav please?" After opening the zipper of her fanny pack, May dug around for a second before handing him her white and red PokeNav Plus. After obtaining it, the professor used the small device in his right hand and a series of buttons on the PokeNav Plus to mess with the device till he was satisfied, then returned the machine to May. "There, now your PokeNav Plus is updated like Brendan's!" At this the professor clapped Brendan on the back with his hand, but the young trainer just rolled his eyes. "The new features will help you on your journey, especially in the beginning," Professor Birch informed May.

"Yeah, that's nice and all of you dad, but you really didn't need to do that." Brendan pointed at May then back to himself. "Turns out we're traveling together till Petalburg City, and since we all know what an awesome trainer I am, I'll make sure to teach this noob how to survive in the pokemon world." Brendan smirked and crossed his arms.

May pinched Brendan hard on the arm.

"Ow!" He yelped, his fingers immediately rubbing the sore spot. "What the hell May?!" He yelled as he gave her an accusatory look.

 _Ugh, this know-it-all weenie,_ May thought.

She put one hand on her hip and gave Brendan an annoyed look. "First of all smartypants, I'm not a _noob._ I may have only just gotten my first pokemon, but I haven't exactly been living in a box all my life. I know what the pokemon world is like since I've been living in it since, I don't know, _I came out of the womb_." May flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I may be from Johto originally, but pokemon are pokemon no matter what region you're in. I mean, jeez, my dad is a gym leader for goodness sake, so I'm not totally ignorant." May huffed as she finished her small tirade.

Before Brendan could respond with a snarky comment, Professor Birch clapped his hands together in excitement. "Wonderful! I see you two are getting along well."

May and Brendan both stared at the professor incredulously. _What the?_ _ **As if**_ _I could get along with this brat,_ Brendan thought to himself. By the look on May's face, she was thinking the same thing.

"And what's more?", the professor continued, "It looks like you are traveling together too! This is just great, I can't wait to see what adventures you two have and what pokemon you come across." Professor Birch started pushing the two young trainers out the door, one hand on each of their backs. Before they could protest, May and Brendan found themselves shoved outside the lab.

"Have an exciting journey you two!"

The two dumbfounded teenagers looked back to see the professor waving at them cheerily from the lab's doorway. "And don't forget to stick together! There will be times when you find yourself in trouble, and having a friend by your side could mean life or death." And with that, Professor Birch turned and entered his lab, the front door closing solidly behind him.

"..."

"..."

"Well," Brendan began, "guess that's that." He turned and started walking away.

"Wait, where are you going?! Don't leave without me you… you… butt-munch!" May yelled at Brendan's retreating form, picking up her pace so she could catch up with him.

* * *

"Howy ship," Brendan said through a mouthful of food. After chewing some more, he swallowed and patted his belly in contentment. "Your mom makes bomb food."

May stopped licking the excess jam off her fingers, which was all that was left of the homemade razz berry scone she just devoured, and looked Brendan's way with a grin. "I told you she did, didn't I?"

The new companions had made a pit stop at May's house after leaving Professor Birch's lab. May's mom was more than surprised to see her daughter back after seeing her off just that morning, but quickly filled the bellies of Brendan and May with scrumptious sandwiches and sweets. Of course, May remembered to snatch a few extra pastries for the journey. She patted her fanny pack with a lazy smile.

 _O_ _h yes, I'll be enjoying these warm, tasty pieces of heaven later_. She licked her lips in anticipation.

It's now late afternoon and the two teenagers were nearing Oldale Town. Brendan, who had been walking beside May thus far, suddenly looked over at his female companion with a smirk. _I'm bored as hell, so time to spice things up,_ he thought.

Putting his hands behind his head, Brendan soaked up the sun rays and casually asked May, "You want to have a pokemon battle?"

"No," May replied without hesitation.

The thought of intentionally using pokemon still rubbed her the wrong way. _I may be stuck with a Mudkip, but that doesn't mean my opinion on pokemon is going to suddenly change and make me want to be a top trainer or anything._

Brendan was irked at her response and lowered his arms to look over at her in frustration. "Oh c'mon, you're not even going to consider a battle? I'm flipping _bored_ May!" Brendan figured she wouldn't last long in a battle against him and his pokemon, but it would still be better than the anticlimactic experience his trainer debut was starting off as.

"Look, I know you're a noob at this and all-" May shot Brendan a glare as the words left his mouth, "-but who better to show you how it's done than me, someone who's battled pokemon for a few years now?" Brendan shot May a cocky grin.

May grit her teeth in annoyance. _Just ignore the stuck up arse May. You should have seen this coming when you asked for him to travel with you._ Which was a decision she's been beginning to regret.

But Brendan kept rattling on. "Seriously though, you should take advantage of me while you can. I could give you a few pointers, you know? Help you to not get demolished by experienced trainers like me in the future."

 _Ignorehimignorehimignorehim,_ May repeated over and over in her head like a mantra.

"..."

There was a long pause between the two of them.

 _Fine,_ Brendan thought as another smirk grew on his face, _if she won't willingly battle, I'll_ _ **make**_ _her._

"Hey skittle tits", Brendan said in May's direction, fingering the lone pokeball strapped to his belt. "You scared or something? Afraid that I'll wipe the floor with you? Not that I blame you… I mean, let's be honest, you don't stand a chance against me in battle."

May was infuriated. _THAT'S IT! Who the hell is he calling skittle tits?!_

She rounded on Brendan and shoved her finger in his face, her patience snapping. "If a battle is what you want Brendan Birch, then a battle is what you get! I'm going to wipe that infuriating smirk off your face!"

Brendan's grin only grew wider as he saw May lose it. He backed away from her in excitement, his adrenaline kicking in. After snatching his pokeball off his belt and enlarging it, Brendan gave May a wink. "Ladies first."

His cocky attitude just fueled the fire in May, so she grabbed her only pokeball from its place hooked on her fanny pack's strap, enlarged it, and threw it at the place between Brendan and herself.

"Mudkip, I choose you!" A flash of light revealed the Mudkip in all his pudgy blue glory, his usual smile replaced with what was supposed to be a fiercely intimidating glare.

"Pfffff.. Hahaha!" Brendan laughed as he took in the sight of May's pokemon, which just irritated May even more and caused her to shake her fists in anger. The poor Mudkip just looked back at his trainer in horror upon realizing his battle face was being made fun of. He'd been practicing it in his pokeball for hours!

"Sorry, but it's hilarious seeing him all serious like… as if he stood a chance against my Hotwings!" At this, Brendan threw his pokeball near the still insulted Mudkip to reveal his Torchic in a flash of light.

Now it was May's turn to laugh.

"Hahahahah!" She was howling with laughter, bent over from the force of her giggles. "You- Ah, hahahaha!" Even May's Mudkip spared his trainer a concerned glance, worried by the force of her laughs and tears in her eyes.

Brendan's Torchic just stood her ground, a look of contempt on her face.

"Shut up! Why the hell does everyone always laugh when I bring her out? Look at her, she's badass!" Hotwings slowly turned her head to glare daggers at her trainer.

"Hahaha! It's because- pfffff", May had to compose herself some so she could talk, "you named her _Hotwings."_ After saying the ridiculous nickname, May had to bring her gloved hand to her mouth to quickly stifle her giggles.

Beyond furious, Brendan returned his attention to the battle at hand."Enough talking! Hotwings, use scratch now!"

The Torchic quickly took action at her trainer's command and dashed forward to land a series of scratches on the Mudkip's face. May's Mudkip howled in pain and jumped back from the aggressive Torchic.

May's attention quickly returned to the battle as she heard her Mudkip's pained cry. _Fudge! Time to get your head in the game May. No way are you letting this turd beat you._

"Mudkip, use growl!" May shouted.

The water type pokemon grit its teeth and guttered out an impressive growl at Torchic, lowering the fire type's attack. _Better to lower stats before the battle gets too serious,_ May affirmed herself. Like she told Brendan before, she wasn't totally ignorant on pokemon. Being home schooled by a gym leader meant that May inevitably became knowledgeable on pokemon strengths and weakness, and the basics of battle. Therefore, even though his pokemon was a few levels higher, she knew that Brendan was at a disadvantage since fire is weak to water.

While May strategized in her head, brendan wasted no time retaliating.

"Torchic, use scratch again!"

"Mudkip, dodge it!" May yelled immediately after.

The fire type leaped towards the Mudkip and raked its claws along the pokemon's flank before it could move more than an inch.

 _So fast!_ May thought. There was no time for Mudkip to get out of the way.

"Bubble, now!" May yelled.

"Dodge it Hotwings!" Brendan retaliated.

May's Mudkip opened its mouth to let out a torrid of bubbles at Hotwings, but the torchic easily jumped out of the way. Knowing ember wouldn't be as effective, Brendan repeated the same command.

"Use scratch again! You've almost got him Hotwings."

And it was true. Though Brendan's torchic is a few levels higher than it's opponent, both pokemon are young and fairly low level in general. Their exhaustion was evident as Hotwings had to take a deep breath before she rushed at the Mudkip, claws extended. The water type pokemon wasn't looking much better as it took in heavy breaths of air, red claw marks covering its body from the earlier attacks.

Knowing her Mudkip may not be able to take another hit to the face, and that the torchic will be on him any second now, May yelled, "Quick, spin around and block with your tail!"

The Mudkip did just that, it's thick and hardy blue tail taking the brunt of Hotwings' scratch attack. A look of surprise crossed both Brendan face and his Torchic's.

"Keep turning and use bubble!" May commanded.

The Mudkip didn't stop it's spin, and just before completing its three-sixty it let out another torrid of bubbles. Hotwings tried to jump out of the way, but it was too late. The beam of bubbles hit the fire type pokemon right in the face at close range.

Brendan took in his pokemon's condition with worry etched on his face. "Stay conscious Hotwings, you can do it!" he yelled in encouragement.

 _No way, just no way. I_ _ **can't**_ _lose to that amateur._ But he could already see Hotwings stumbling, and with a slightly dazed look, she collapsed to the ground in a faint. _Damn._ Brendan returned Hotwings to her pokeball and muttered soothing words to it, "You did your best Hotwings. We'll get them next time."

Meanwhile, May felt a surge of pride for her and her Mudkip, and was currently doing a happy dance, her hips shimmying back and forth. "Woohoo, heck to the yes! See that Brendan? Me and my Mudkip just opened a major can of whoop ass on you!" she yelled with a huge grin.

Brendan just rolled his eyes, muttering, "beginners luck" under his breath.

Mudkip looked up at his trainer tiredly, his usual wide smile back in place. May gave him a thumbs up and wink as she walked over to him. The adrenaline from the pokemon battle was still surging through her body, and winning made her almost giddy.

She bent down to her pokemon's level and placed an affectionate hand on his rubbery forehead. "You were _amazing_ ," she told him with a dazzling smile. The Mudkip wore an elated grin as he returned to his pokeball, which May soon returned to it's place on her fanny pack's strap.

"I hope you know I went easy on you," Brendan said out loud before May could gloat more. "You're welcome."

May just rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Pshh, yeah, that's totally what happened. Cause you know, it would be _such a shame_ if I actually beat you fair and square," she said sarcastically as she and Brendan returned to walking side by side to Oldale Town.

"Exactly."

"Ugh, whatever. You just don't want to admit that I kicked your booty."

"You had a type advantage."

"That didn't stop you from bragging about all your _skill_ and _experience_ before."

"Gah, just shut up, you got lucky."

"Whatever you say sore loser."

"Stank face."

"Wurmple licker."

"Skittle tits."

May smacked Brendan upside the head and shot him a smoldering glare. "Rude! Stop calling me that already."

Brendan gave her an appraising sidelong glance once May turned away with a huff. May was fairly curvy actually and filled out her tight shirt and bike shorts well. Brendan smirked to himself anyway. _But the nickname get's to her every time. It's perfect._

The remainder of their short journey to Oldale Town went like this, with the two young trainers bickering back and forth, each insult spewed from their mouths becoming more and more creative and colorful. At the end of the ordeal, the same thought ran through both Brendan' and May's head - _Why did I agree to travel with_ _ **them**_ _of all people._

Once May and Brendan made it to the lush and green Oldale Town, they immediately went to the Pokemon Center to heal their battle weary pokemon. Brendan held the door open for May, who in turn looked at him with suspicion. Getting irritated with the delay, Brendan sighed and told her, "Jeez, don't worry. I won't do anything, so c'mon."

Finally, May decided to risk it and walked through mumbling a, "thanks then" on her way inside the building.

May walked up to Nurse Joy behind the front counter and handed her lone pokeball over, giving the pinkette nurse one of her sunny smiles.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Center," Nurse Joy said, returning May's smile with one of her own. "Would you like me to heal your pokemon?"

May nodded her head and answered, "Yes please!" then stepped to the side while Nurse Joy placed the pokeball onto a soft cotton-lined tray, which was picked up by a pink Clefairy and delivered to a room down the hallway for healing.

Brendan walked up next and handed his own pokeball over to Nurse Joy. After seeing it off with the Clefairy and thanking the cheery woman behind the counter, Brendan sat down in one of the plush blue couches in the corner of the room.

May joined him, then turned to him with a curious look and asked, "So what exactly happens to our pokemon after the Clefairy take them?"

"Well," Brendan started as he slouched some to get more comfortable, "How my dad explained it to me is that the Clefairy take the tray of pokeballs to a room where a large machine is located." May nodded her head and waited for him to continue. "Then they place the pokeballs into the machine's slots and hook them up to a series of wires, one connected to a source of power and the other to a Clefairy. The Clefairy uses it's healing ability on the pokeballs with the additional boost from technology, which heals the majority of ailments a pokemon may have."

May nodded her head in understanding, then looked up when she saw the same Clefairy from before return with a tray carrying her's and Brendan's pokeballs. They accepted their pokeballs graciously, then said thank you and left.

Brendan pulled out his orange PokeNav Plus from his backpack and checked the time. "Hey May, if we want to make it to Petalburg City before nightfall, we better pick up the pace," he said, his fingers pressing a few buttons on the small machine.

"Well, hurry up then slowpoke!" came May's distant reply. Brendan looked up from his PokeNav Plus to see her already quite a few yards away, her hand waving at him to hurry, and a sunny smile on her face.

"What the-," Brendan quickly threw the gadget in his hands into his green backpack, swung the bag over his shoulder, and hurried to catch up. They had a lot of ground to cover while the sun was still up, and they were bound to run into all manner of obstacles on their way.

Little did the two young companions know, their journey was just now starting, and it would only prove to become increasingly more arduous as time went by. Brendan's and May's future was to be filled with plenty of laughs, arguments, and exciting battles, but not everything was fun and games. Unbeknownst to them, something dark and ominous was brewing in the background. The two adventurous teenagers will have to grow much, much stronger and learn to depend on one another if they plan to overcome the forces they will inevitably face. Will they be able to get over their differences and grow as both trainers and individuals before it's too late?

Only time will tell.

* * *

 _Author's note:_

 _DUN, DUN, DUNNN._

 _I hope you guys enjoyed the second chapter! The plot will be slowly picking up, so you can look forward to that._

 _Reviews are always welcome and appreciated! 3_


	3. Chapter 3

**BATTLES HERE, BATTLES THERE, BATTLES EVERYWHEREEE.**

 **No, seriously though, expect a lot of battling. And new pokemon companions. Ooo, lala.**

 **Please R and R muchachos! :) And enjoy**

* * *

*Rustle, rustle*

"Woah, what was that?" Brendan stopped walking and looked in the long grass to his left where he heard the rustling.

The two companions had been walking on Route 102 for a short while, and even though they had seen wild pokemon here and there, neither had attempted to catch one.

"What, you scared Brendan?" May smirked.

 _He's such a boob, going on and on about how amazing he is only to cower at rustling bushes._ Nonetheless, she also stopped walking and peered into the long grass. A few seconds passed by when suddenly-

"RAAAWRRRGH!"

An abnormally large Poochyena jumped straight out of the long grass towards Brendan! He scrambled back with a surprised yell, May doing the same. Before the wild pokemon could turn on him, Brendan threw a pokeball at it.

"Hotwings, get ready!" He yelled.

A flash of light revealed the fire type pokemon already in her battle stance, a fierce glare on her face and claws flexing in the dirt.

May had run over to stand at Brendan's side, but the Poochyena had his fierce red eyes now fixed on the new threat. He howled in anger and dashed towards the Torchic, foaming at the mouth.

"Quickly Hotwings, dodge, then use scratch!"

The fire type pokemon jumped to the side just as the Poochyena's jaws were closing in. Before the hyena pokemon could react, Hotwings raked her claws along the Poochyena's flank. The dark type pokemon howled in rage, raising its attack in the process,  
and rounded on the Torchic.

"Ember, now!" Brendan yelled out. _This should get the job done._

Without taking his eyes off of the battle, he extended his hand to May and asked, "Grab one of my pokeballs from my bag."

She grumbled about not being his maid, but handed him a pokeball anyway, vowing to give him a piece of her mind later.

Meanwhile, Hotwings was focusing on building up a scorching flame in her belly. The Poochyena sprinted straight at her in fury, the scratch marks on its side visibly red. Just as the dark type pokemon was closing in, Hotwings let loose a blazing ball  
of fire from her beak. The flame enveloped the Poochyena and caused him to scream in agony before he dropped to the now charred ground in a faint.

"Woohoo!" May cheered as she threw a fist to the air in excitement.

Brendan just smirked and threw the empty pokeball in his hand at the Poochyena. It opened up right before hitting the fainted pokemon, enveloped him in a bright light, then dropped to the ground once closed. Brendan watched the pokeball rock back and  
forth a few times, biting his lip in anticipation, before he heard a distinct *ploop* of the pokemon being caught.

"Yes! Now _that's_ how it's done," Brendan hollered at May. He walked over to his Torchic and praised her battle prowess, then returned her to her pokeball.

"That was amazing Brendan!" May told him excitedly, a bright grin on her face. "I mean, wow, your Torchic managed to beat the Poochyena without taking one hit!"

Naturally, Brendan soaked in her praise and let it coax his ego out. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome, wasn't it?"

He smirked and started walking beside May, his hands behind his head. "Hotwings kicks ass, and with my help strategizing, there's no way we could lose. So see May?" And at this he looked over at her, his smirk only growing bigger, "aren't you glad you  
have me around? I've been catching pokemon for years, something you have no hope of doing without my killer guidance."

May's exuberant smile instantly turned into an annoyed frown at Brendan's words. _As_ _ **if**_ _I need help from an arrogant prick like you Brendan Birch._ But before she could spit the words out, May and Brendan were  
interrupted again by rustling in the long grass up ahead. _Woah, another wild pokemon already? We've only been walking a few minutes!_ Thought May in surprise.

Peering at the occupied patch of grass, Brendan was just able to make out a fluffy pink tail with three yellow balls waving in the air. He instantly recognized the pokemon. _A Skitty, eh? They're sneaky little pokemon. Hmph, I'd like to see May catch one of those by herself. Maybe then she'll realize it's not as easy as it looks._

Brendan wore his signature cocky grin and nudged May with his elbow. "Hey May, how about you try and catch the Skitty hiding in the grass? I'll be here for you when you need help, so no need to be shy."

May grew furious with Brendan and shoved him off the path as she stomped past. "Whatever! I'll show you that me and my Mudkip can deal with one wild pokemon just fine without you!" And with that she made her way to the still rustling grass.

Brendan followed May with a roll of his eyes. _No need to shove me, jeez._

When he saw her grab Mudkip's pokeball off her fanny pack's strap and get battle ready, he yelled at her, "I was just being nice, but after manhandling me, I expect you to get on your hands and knees and beg when you come asking for my help. Which you  
will, by the way."

May just ignored him and threw her pokeball out in front of her. "Mudkip, come on out!"

Her Mudkip emerged from its pokeball just as the wild Skitty poked its pink crescent head up from its hiding spot in the long grass. Mudkip saw the wild pokemon's head emerge so he bobbed his tail up and down in anticipation of a battle. Before May could  
shout out a move, however, the wild Skitty dove back in the grass, disappearing from sight.

Both May and her Mudkip were flabbergasted. "Whaa?" May muttered to herself in confusion.

Brendan's smirk just grew bigger.

Suddenly, the wild Skitty's head popped back up in another patch of long grass, a few feet from where it was originally spotted.

 _Urgh, I'm_ _ **going**_ _to catch this Skitty! No way am I letting Brendan My-ego-is-too-big-for-my-britches Burch one up me._

May quickly shouted a command at Mudkip, "Water gun, now!"

Mudkip nodded in understanding, then locked eyes with the wild Skitty in the grass and released a torrent of water from his mouth. The powerful jet of water ravished the tall grass in its way as it headed towards its target. After the attack, both water  
type pokemon and trainer waited to see if the water gun made contact.

The answer was no.

"OH, C'MON!" May shouted, grabbing her hair in frustration as she saw the wild Skitty pop up in a new patch of grass appearingly dry and unharmed. Mudkip's cute rubbery face fell too when he saw that he had failed to hit the mischievous pokemon.

"What the hell is this, a game of hide and seek?" May muttered.

"One that you're obviously losing," Brendan snickered, not even trying to cover up his laugh.

May just glared at him, then turned back to the Skitty, only to see she had popped up somewhere new again. May's Mudkip was currently trying to shoot water at the Skitty whenever she showed her face, but it was apparent that the pink pokemon was too quick. _Ok then,_ May  
thought _, two can play at this game._ She remembered the way Mudkip's water gun had destroyed any grass in its path and grinned as she swiftly came up with a strategy to out-trick the trickster.

"Kukuku" May looked up at the sound only to see the Skitty was… laughing? _No way, the annoying ball of fluff is actually_ _ **laughing**_ _at me and my Mudkip!_ May thought in shock. She heard Brendan cracking up beside  
her, which just infuriated her more, causing her eye to twitch. _That's it, time to put my plan into action._

"Mudkip, water gun again!"

Getting frustrated himself at the wild Skitty's antics, May's Mudkip was more than happy to let loose another jet of water at the teasing pokemon. As expected, the Skitty immediately ducked down to pop up further to the right.

Knowing the Skitty had no choice but to go left if she wanted to keep up the game, the tall grass ending shortly to the right, May smirked. _Got you now_.

"Keep up the water gun, but now sweep it to your right!" She shouted while blindly fingering for an empty pokeball in her fanny pack.

Mudkip did just that, turning his head to the right so that the powerful stream of water trampled any impending grass in its way. This caused the Skitty to run out of hiding spots, and though she barely managed to escape being hit by the water gun, its  
attack left her fully visible and only a few yards away from May's Mudkip.

"Tackle Mudkip!" May shouted as soon as she spotted the Skitty.

Mudkip's smile grew large and his eyes narrowed in determination as he dashed toward the Skitty with his head lowered. The wild Skitty was clearly shocked that she had been outsmarted, for her coy smile had been replaced with a surprised "O". Just as  
Mudkip drew near, the Skitty snapped out of it and attempted to dodge to the left. It was too late though as May's Mudkip launched itself at the last second and hit the wild pokemon at full force. The Skitty landed hard on the ground in a daze as  
May's Mudkip jumped off of her, a huge smile and look of satisfaction on his face.

"YESSS! Way to go Mudkip!" May squealed in praise as she threw her empty pokeball at the exhausted Skitty. Mudkip's naturally wide smile only grew larger at his trainer's admiration, and he wagged his heavy tail in happiness, similar to that of a dog.

After the pokeball containing the Skitty stopped rocking, May skipped over to pick it up, catching the look on Brendan's face as she did so.

He was absolutely shocked.

 _No way…_ His jaw was still dropped in surprise, so he shook his head to get a hold of himself. _I can't believe she… on her first try too…_

"You're totally amazed, aren't you?" May said with a cheery grin as she made her way over to Brendan. Her Mudkip was hardly tired from the short battle, but she had returned him to his pokeball anyway after saying a few soothing words to him.

Brendan avoided looking at her and grunted. "Pshh, You just got lucky. Again." He walked a little faster as they continued their journey to Petalburg City in hopes that he could leave her behind.

May easily caught up to him though, that damned happy grin still on her face. "Oh come on Brendy-poo… I can only be lucky so many times before its-" she leaned in close to his ear and whispered, " _skill._ "

Brendan pushed her away with a look of annoyance plastered on his face. "Ok, ok, fine. So you're not _that_ bad for a beginner," he relented.

His response only caused May's smile to get even cheerier if possible. "Darn right I'm not," she said with a wink Brendan's way.

Brendan just rolled his eyes. "My Hotwings could still kick your Mudkip's ass."

May snorted. "We already proved that my Mudkip is a better battler."

" _Your_ Mudkip? I thought you didn't like pokemon?" Brendan said with a raised eyebrow.

"Err- well, uh- I don't," May stuttered out uncomfortably. Really though, she was just as surprised as Brendan was. She really didn't like pokemon, but she just…

Mudkip's cheeky smile and cute rubbery face came to mind, and she felt herself slightly smile. "Mudkip is… different" May said softly. And it was true, because whenever she takes him out, whether it's to battle, sleep, or eat, she doesn't feel uncomfortable  
or adverse to his presence. _He's a pokemon, I know… but honestly? I think his wide grin is pretty cute. Plus, he's so funny and sweet when he makes faces at me or snuggles in my lap._

"...Ooook then," Brendan said. "... you're so weird," He added as walked ahead of May.

All of a sudden, Brendan and May heard a high-pitched squeal ahead of them. Brendan flinched at the atrocious sound as they drew closer to the source of noise.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Look Rick, it's trainers!" said an excited young girl about May and Brendan's age. She was shaking the older man beside her with so much enthusiasm that he was clearly seeing stars.

Once Brendan and May came up to them, she let go of the poor man and waved at the two young companions before her. "Oh, hi there! My name is Tiana, and this here," she pointed at the disgruntled man beside her, "is my cousin Rick!"

May matched the young girl's bright smile with one of her own. "Nice to meet you! I'm May, and the doofus beside me here is Brendan."

Brendan had been taking in the strangers, noting the man's carrot red hair and unusual bug catcher ensemble and his cousin's ultra cute (and pleasantly short) skirt. Once he heard May introduce them, however, he rounded on her in annoyance. "Hey! Who  
are you calling doofus?!"

May just gave him a lazy eyeroll. "Uh, you obviously smart-ass."

 _You annoying ass, dumb- "_ What the hell is your problem?" Brendan snapped at May, totally forgetting about the strangers before them.

"Hmm.. where to start? Oh! I know. _You_ are my problem."

Brendan snorted. "Says the girl who _asked_ me to accompany her because she was lonely."

May stuck her nose up in the air. _He has a point… but still!_ "That was before I knew what an arrogant snob you are, and rude too!"

Meanwhile, as the two companions continued bickering and calling each other all manner of crude names, the cousins stood awkwardly in place wondering how things escalated so quickly.

"Eheh.. *cough* well… want to, uh, battle?" The cute lass Tiana asked meekly. Her older cousin just looked at her in shock, his face saying, _You still want to take on these weirdos?!_ After she got the question out though, both arguing teenagers  
immediately stopped their insult war and turned to her raptly.

"You're on!" May said in excitement, fist in the air.

"Hope you're ready to get your asses handed to you," Brendan added with a smirk.

Gaining some of her bravado back with the promise of a battle, the young trainer stepped back, dragging her bug enthusiast cousin with her, and got battle ready.

"Alright! Since there's two of you, and two of us, we'll do a double battle, ok? Ok!" At that, she threw her pokeball at the empty area between the four trainers.

"Zigzagoon, I choose you!" she shouted, and out came a brown and beige striped pokemon.

After adjusting his glasses, Rick grabbed his own pokeball and threw it with a yell, "My dearest Wurmple, bless us with your adorable presence!" A flash of light revealed Rick's red and white bug type pokemon.

"Oh, ick, c'mon mannnn," moaned May in disgust. "You just _had_ to use a bug pokemon."

Both Rick and his Wurmple looked at her in offense.

"How dare you! My glorious Wurmple has the most slimiest of slimy thoraxes, and I make sure that her horns are impeccably polished every single day," he exclaimed in exasperation. As if to agree, the Wurmple in question raised her nose at May in a snobbish  
gesture and harrumphed.

Brendan just shook his head and faced the cousin opposite him with his signature confident smirk. "Allright Hotwings, let's show them who's boss!"

He threw Hotwings' pokeball, and after a flash of iridescent light, the fire-type pokemon was revealed. She stood battle ready with a smirk that matched her trainer's on her face.

 _Like trainer like pokemon_ , May thought with a smile. After the Torchic's appearance, however, Brendan and May's opponents burst into laughter.

"Oh, for the love of-" Brendan shook his fists in fury. "STOP LAUGHING. Hotwings is a fierce bundle of feathers! FIERCE!" He yelled at the hysterical Tiana and Rick.

Hotwings just sighed and shook her head in shame.

"Alright, time to get this show on the road. Go Mudkip!" May yelled with a grin as she threw her pokemon's ball.

May's Mudkip burst out of its confinement to land beside Hotwings, his smile wide and rubbery tail wagging.

Seeing all the pokemon on the battlefield, Brendan smirked again. "Hotwings, use scratch on the zigzagoon!" He shouted.

Hotwings' embarrassed look from earlier changed into one of pure confidence, her body suddenly shaking with excitement. She dashed at Tiana's Zigzagoon at top speed, and even though her opponent attempted to jump out of the way, Hotwings' claws raked  
down the Zigzagoon's haunches. The hurt pokemon yelped in pain as the red scratches began to lightly bleed.

"Zigzagoon, tackle while the Torchic is at close range!" The young lass Tiana yelled in fury.

"Wurmple darling, use string shot on the Mudkip!" sang Rick to his bug pokemon.

The Zigzagoon rounded on Hotwings in anger and ran towards her, only to launch herself at the Torchic. Unfortunately for the Zigzagoon, Hotwings anticipated her opponent's retaliation and easily jumped out of the way.

Meanwhile, Rick's Wurmple was shooting sticky strings of slime at May's Mudkip, the strands wrapping themselves around the water type pokemon tightly.

"Oh, EWWWW," May groaned and began to gag in disgust. "GROSSGROSSGROSS."

"Mudkip, use your tail to loosen the nasty strings and slip out!" May shouted.

Rick sneered, though the look was a lot less sinister on him than it would be on most people thanks to his large glasses and unusual bug get-up. Because the purpose of string shot is to bind pokemon and slow them down, the bug catcher was convinced that  
May's Mudkip would struggle at least a little bit. Much to his shock, however, the Mudkip was able to use its thick tail to forcefully remove the sticky strands binding him. In fact, the whole ordeal was much too easy, a piece of cake really.

"Wha- what?!" Blubbered Rick in shock. Even his Wurmple was surprised, so neither were prepared for what came next.

"Alright, Mudkip!" May cheered. "Water gun, now!"

Mudkip wagged its rubbery tail in acknowledgement and opened its large mouth wide to let loose a jet of water, hitting the enemy Wurmple right smack in the face. The bug pokemon shook his head side-to-side as he tried to shake off his dizziness.

"Oh no, my dearest Wurmple! You need to focus Snookums!" The bug catcher cried at his hurt pokemon.

"Tackle it while it's down Mudkip!" May commanded, her eyes narrowing and grin growing.

Wanting to please his trainer, May's Mudkip nodded then took off as fast as his short legs would let him. Though his speed was nothing special (Mudkips are much quicker in water than on land), the force in which the Mudkip hit the Wurmple was more than  
strong enough to make up for it. After hitting Rick's battered Wurmple, the bug pokemon was thrown backward hard. It hit the ground with a heavy *thump* and instantly fainted in defeat. Mudkip, which had landed a few feet away, swung around in place  
in excitement, May matching her pokemon's happy dance with one of her own.

"Oh yeah baby, ohhhhhh yeahhhhhh" May cheered as she spun her arms around in a circle. "You kicked serious slug butt Mudkip!"

After cooing over his fainted Wurmple and returning him to his pokeball, Rick turned to the still bragging May with an offended look. "My sweety pie is not a _slug_ , you self-righteous bug hater." His upset face suddenly softened to one of love  
and adoration. "He is… the perfect caterpillar. His exoskeleton is the perfect shade of cherry red, and his yellow spikes compliment his eyes impeccably."

Once Rick finished his mushy soliloquy, he turned to look at May, only to see her finger down her throat as she pretended to gag again. The bug catcher harrumphed in

Indignation and turned away from her, his arms crossed.

"Jeez, Brendan. Talk about taking your time." May said cheekily as she turned her attention to the ongoing battle beside her.

Hotwings and Tiana's Zigzagoon have been playing a never-ending game of cat and mouse, with the Torchic being predator and her opponent the prey. The Zigzagoon has been dodging Hotwings' constant barrage of attacks, and with the exception of a few additional  
cuts and scrapes, she'd been fairly successful in her endeavors. After seeing that May had already beaten the Wurmple, however, Brendan felt the need to end the battle once and for all.

 _Ok,_ he thought. _Time to get your head in the game Brendan._ He observed his Torchic as she attempted to rake her claws along the Zigzagoon's underbelly, only to miss by a centimeter. The Zigzagoon got away again, but was panting heavily  
and visibly slowing down. _Hotwings is tiring out, but not nearly as fast as the Zigzagoon. So… hmm, yeah. I've got it._ Brendan snapped his fingers at his sudden idea, and his signature snarky grin came back.

"Hotwings, run straight for the Zigzagoon again!" He yelled out.

Hotwings, who was more than irritated with the Zigzagoon and her pokemon trainer's antics, was happy to end the battle. She took a deep breath, then narrowed her big eyes and ran at full speed at the Zigzagoon like before. The normal type pokemon looked  
up from where she was taking a breather and saw the Torchic racing toward her.

"Zigzagoon, dodge!" Commanded Tiana, desperation in her voice. She clearly didn't know what to do but have her pokemon escape since the Zigzagoon's past attempts at attacking proved to only hurt the Torchic a little bit.

The Zigzagoon turned and took off again, albeit slower than its past escapes from Hotwings' claws.

 _Just as expected,_ Brendan thought in satisfaction.

As soon as the Zigzagoon's back was turned, Brendan yelled out a new command. "Hotwings, use ember on the Zigzagoon!"

The Torchic immediately obeyed, slowing down slightly as she mustered up a blazing flame. A few seconds later, she released a scorching ember from her open beak, the flame making direct contact with the Zigzagoon's behind. It yelped in surprise and pain,  
its furry tail and butt catching fire.

"Use scratch while it's distracted! Put everything you've got into it!" Brendan shouted out.

Torchic took off running at the distracted Zigzagoon, the determined look on her face showing that she meant business.

Tiana saw what was happening and tried to retaliate. "Zigzagoon, hurry and dodge!" She yelled franticly, her fists clenched tightly and worry in her eyes.

Her Zigzagoon, however, was busy trying to put out her flaming bum and paid her trainer little attention. The normal type pokemon was yelping and jumping in circles till it finally rolled over on the ground, successfully putting the flames out. Its sigh  
of relief, however, was short lived as Hotwings suddenly jumped in the air and landed directly on the vulnerable Zigzagoon's stomach. As if having the breath knocked out of it wasn't enough, the Zigzagoon was soon under attack as Hotwings used her  
claws to scratch the enemy pokemon repeatedly. Tiana's pokemon fainted within seconds, the pain and exhaustion it felt being too much to handle.

"Ok, ok, that's totally enough!" Tiana said urgently, her hands up in surrender.

Hotwings immediately jumped off the Zigzagoon, realizing her opponent was out cold and covered in raised cuts. Tiana returned her pokemon to its pokeball to recover, making sure to lovingly tell her Zigzagoon what a good job she did.

"Talk about doing a bomb job Hotwings. Way to go!" Brendan cheered to his Torchic as he walked over to her, pokeball in one hand. Hotwings ruffled her feathers happily upon hearing her trainer's praise. She was clearly exhausted though, because when Brendan  
went to pat the top of her head, she nearly fell over.

"Woah!" Brendan said in surprise as he quickly caught his tired pokemon. "Guess you could use a rest, huh?" He said sheepishly. His Torchic smiled weakly at him and nodded, so he told her good job again and returned her to her pokeball.

"We won Brendan!" May exclaimed in excitement, walking over to Brendan and raising her hand for a high five.

"Duh, of course we did!" He said cheekily, returning May's high five with one of his own.

The two companions then turned to Tiana and Rick. "Ok, ok, you guys sure are tough. But wow, it was a fun battle! I think my Zigzagoon really learned a lot," Tiana said with a smile, her pigtails bouncing as she bobbed her head.

Rick just glared at May and muttered, "So cruel… you wouldn't know cute if it hit you in your face."

May snorted and flipped her hair at him. "My face is the definition of cute."

Tiana giggled awkwardly and stomped on her cousin's foot, causing him to squeal in pain. "What he _really_ means is that he thought it was fun too!" She said, flashing another big smile Brendan and May's way.

Brendan grinned back and said, "Yeah, it was cool, thanks for the battle. We better go though if we're gonna make it to Petalburg City before dark." He gave Tiana's short skirt one more appreciative look, then turned around with a wave and started walking  
to Petalburg City once more.

May followed after him, but turned to look back at the cousins with a bright smile and wave of her own. "Thanks again for the battle!"

Tiana waved back, and even Rick gave a half-hearted goodbye, before both turned to head in the opposite direction towards Oldale Town.

"Sooo, Brendan," May started as she caught up with the teenager. "How much longer till we get to Petalburg City? I'm _starving._ " She rubbed her empty belly for emphasis.

Brendan looked up, noticing that the day's last bit of sunlight would be gone soon. "Well, it shouldn't be much more than… forty-five minutes or so", he said in contemplation. He shoved his hands in his pockets as a cool breeze came by, causing him to  
shiver. "Hopefully less though," he grumbled.

May hummed in answer and rubbed her own arms as she was hit by the same chilly gust of wind. _I could_ _ **so**_ _go for a meal and warm bed right about now. And shower._ She look down at herself, spotting the dirt that  
covered her clothes. _Mhm, definitely a shower._

A few wild pokemon encounters and battles later, Brendan and May made it to Petalburg City. Just in time too, because the sun was rapidly going down, leaving the sky covered in an orange haze. Though partially obscured by lingering clouds, the plethora  
of colors visible were distinctly warm. The two traveling companions were too tired to notice the sun's descent though, so they beelined straight for the Pokemon Center once they reached their destination.

With heavy eyes, they entered the building and were welcomed by the beeping of machines and friendly face of Nurse Joy. Brendan and May handed their pokeballs over for healing, then collapsed on the nearest couch to wait.

"Sooooo tireddddd Brendan," May moaned to her companion with closed eyes.

Brendan grunted in response. "I feel you." Then a comfortable silence fell over the tired companions.

"..."

"..."

"...Remember that pecha berry bush you threw me into earlier today? Yeah, I'm _still_ feeling those thorns in my ass." Brendan said suddenly.

Eyes still closed, May giggled. "You're still stuck on that? Wow Brendy-poo, you sure do hold a grudge."

Brendan looked over at May with a frown. He'd long given up on getting her to stop calling him that stupid name though, so he let it go. "All I did was ask you to share the road."

"You called me fat."

"Uh, no May. You were literally twirling around and swinging your arms so much that there was no room for anyone else to walk on the route."

"It's called dancing, silly."

"Oh yeah? What dance were you doing, some twisted version of the window wiper? Cause it sure wasn't no salsa."

At this, May opened her eyes and smacked Brendan's shoulder. "Meanie," she said with a pout.

Brendan rubbed his sore shoulder, but before he could say anything a Chansey holding a tray of pokeballs walked their way. Brendan and May both got up to retrieve their pokeballs, and after thanking the Chansey, they went to make sleeping arrangements  
with Nurse Joy. Each Pokemon Center has a separate boarding wing for traveling trainers. The wing has a few rooms, each room being just large enough to contain two bunk beads separated by an end table. There is a public bathroom for males, and one  
for females, as well. The cost for staying at the Pokemon Center is very cheap, making it more than convenient for traveling trainers, especially ones who need to heal their pokemon.

In the end, Brendan and May ended up snagging one of the last available rooms for the night. After showering and changing into their pajamas, Brendan and May settled down into their respective beds and released their pokemon from their pokeballs.

"Time for bed Hotwings and Chase," Brendan said as his pokemon popped out in a flash of light.

"Beddy-bye time Mudkip and Skitty," May sing-songed. Her pokemon also came out of their pokeballs, May's Mudkip sprawling out at the end of the bed, and her Skitty curling up beside her.

May snuggled up under her covers, then turned to face Brendan, who was reaching for the lamp's light switch. Hotwings was perched on a pillow on the the top bunk, while Brendan's Poochyena was already snoring at the end of his trainer's bed.

"So Brendan… Chase, huh?" May said.

Brendan stopped reaching for the lamp's switch and instead settled back in his bed to get a better look at May. "Mhm. It seems like whenever I encounter Poochyena's in the wild they're chasing something or _someone_ , and that includes Chase. It's  
simple, but suits him, you know?" He said thoughtfully, then reached over to give the snoring Chase a gentle rub on his head.

"Your pokemon are probably so happy that you chose names for them, weird or not. But I don't know…" May said softly.

"What, you can't decide on names for your own pokemon?" Brendan asked, looking at May.

"Well, I guess it's more like I haven't bothered. It's just, I don't know, now I feel like they _need_ names." She said as she glanced at her pokemon.

Brendan smiled at May's words. _Well would you look at that. "_ So Miss I-can't-stand-pokemon wants to get friendlier with her own now? Who-da-thunk. Not that I understand your weird aversion to them in the first place."

May looked at him in surprise as it dawned on her that, yes, that was _exactly_ what she wanted, and no, her dislike for pokemon didn't seem to make much sense to herself either lately. _It's been so long, I can't even remember why I started to avoid them in the first place. Well, except bug pokemon._ She  
inwardly cringed at the thought. _They'll always give me the creeps_.

"So what if I do? People's opinions can change, you know." She said as she layed back on her bed with a sigh.

Brendan chuckled and fluffed his pillow. "Don't sweat it May, it's actually a good thing that you want to get closer with your pokemon."

He leaned towards the end table again and turned off the lamp, plunging the room into near dark. The moonlight streaming through the room's one small window was the only source of illumination left.

"Besides," Brendan started as he settled into his covers and turned his back to May, "You're not half bad for a newbie trainer."

For the second time that night, May was surprised by Brendan's words. _Did he just… compliment me?_ She mused with a smile. Then she curled up into a ball and closed her eyes, her Mudkip's gentle snoring and the day's excitement quickly causing  
her to fall into a deep slumber.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Ok, ok, so I admit... battles aren't my strong suit. T^T But I get kudos for trying, right? Please?_

 _Also, I'm not even sorry for ragging on bug pokemon. Obviously all pokemon deserve a little love, yada yada, but bug pokemon RECEIVE NONE from me. NONE. I just can't._

 _Hell yes, I'll shower creepy ghouls, toxic ball of gas, and poison-oozing living piles of trash with affection and love, but I want nothing to do with the creepy crawlies. Do I have mild bug-phobia in life? Possibly, maybe, yes, Icheckmyroomformosquitoeseverynight._

 _I hope you guys enjoyed chapter 3! Next, we might just find out why May avoids pokemon so much (*cough* or used to *cough*) ;)_

 _PLUS DADDY COMES IN TO THE PICTURE. Err.. and by daddy I mean May's dad.. *ahem*_


End file.
